Chapter 402: Make Your Idol Debut, Boss Giovanni!
Whether it paid well or not didn’t matter—Lu Ye mainly wanted to teach Cynthia a foreign language.
After all, Mr. Lu was now fairly well-off, so that "high hourly rate"...
Hmm… was still very necessary!
Jindai’s Battle Pyramid was located near Darkgray City, not far from Saffron City.
On the way there, Lu Ye had flown over on Cynthia’s Togekiss.
All he remembered was the howling wind and how tightly he clung on—Togekiss was practically blushing from it.
Meanwhile, Cynthia had stood gracefully on the back of her Garchomp… Lu Ye had seriously worried she’d fall off at any second.
Now heading back the same way, it was time to enjoy a bit of spring sunshine.
“Awooo~” Arcanine’s solid build was more than enough to carry two people.
Lowering his head, Lu Ye caught a faint whiff of golden hair.
“Why not ride Garchomp?” Cynthia asked curiously.
“I’m afraid of heights.” Cynthia glanced down at the hands resting lightly around her waist and narrowed her eyes. “Liar.”
Mr. Lu stared straight ahead. “I never lie.”
Since he was just holding Arcanine’s back, Cynthia let it slide.
Looks like tonight, he’d better translate a few more papers for her...
Lu Ye gently guided Arcanine, strolling along the breezy field ridges, deep in thought.
It’s not just Groudon that can’t fly.
Mr. Lu can’t fly either...
Sure, Togepi eventually evolves into the very flight-capable Togekiss.
But his own Togepi was still just a baby—evolution was a long way off.
And besides...
Lu Ye pursed his lips, feeling conflicted.
Flying hundreds of meters in the air without safety measures, relying only on a Pokémon—how could he not be afraid?
If he hadn’t clung so tightly earlier, Brock might not have lasted long enough for the rescue!
“I’ll overcome it eventually,”
Lu Ye told himself. “Worst case, no more flying—or I’ll get a saddle with guardrails…”
The weather was clear, clouds drifting across a blue sky.
By the time they got home, it was already four in the afternoon.
Lu Ye got busy prepping ingredients, washing, cooking... Time slipped by unnoticed.
Surprisingly, Cynthia wasn’t gaming for once.
Instead, she was seated seriously in the study, reading up on Sinnoh’s mythology.
The golden light of sunset filtered in through the window, falling across her hair and focused face—like a painting come to life.
Lu Ye knocked gently on the study door, arms folded, quietly appreciating the view.
Cynthia looked up, smiled softly.
“Coming.”
“Your break’s almost over, isn’t it?”
At dinner, with a table full of delicious dishes, Lu Ye asked while holding his chopsticks.
“Mm... I need to head back and cover for Professor Rowan, then prepare for the science summit in April.”
“So soon? It’s early this year?” Lu Ye was surprised.
“It’s the one you attended last year. It happens twice a year.”
Cynthia explained, “The spring one’s smaller and held at the Aquage Library again.”
Lu Ye nodded. Hard to believe time had flown so fast.
In the blink of an eye, he’d caught seven Pokémon and even become Champion of the League…
“You planning to go?” Cynthia asked, clearly interested.
“Nope.” Lu Ye shook his head.
Being a researcher is too much work... Last time didn’t gain much either, just picked up a secretary sidekick.
Might as well stay home during the chilly April weather and cuddle Sylveon for warmth, rub Arcanine’s head too.
Cynthia held her bowl with one hand, chopsticks in her mouth, and nodded as she kept digging into the food.
Have I gained weight recently...? Cynthia tilted her head slightly.
Eh, I’ll deal with it after I get back to Sinnoh...
As evening fell.
Rotom had taken over the dishwasher, transforming into a smart home assistant.
“Gengaa! ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ” Gengar slapped the shaking machine in protest.
How dare it steal my chores!
Lu Ye rubbed his chin. I wonder how strong “Dishwasher Rotom” is in battle...
Maybe other forms could fight too?
Others pull out a Washing Machine Rotom—I’ll bring out a Samsung Self-Destructing SmartPhone Rotom...
Hmm... that’s a fun visual.
Summing up the gains from the ruins trip:
The newly acquired Rainbow Wing.
Lu Ye had already planted it in the green onion pot.
“Ka-me…” “Quack!”
Wolong and Phoenix Chick circled the pot, clicking their tongues in amazement.
With the Rainbow Wing nourishing it, Psyduck’s leek would definitely grow stronger and healthier;
Blastoise had a moment of insight: “Ka-me!ヾ(⌐■_■)”
This feather’s life force was like a hundred Revival Herbs combined!
If we used soil that had nourished this feather to farm... the harvest would be amazing!
‘Wolong’ was getting more and more invested in domestic affairs.
While stuck in the pot, the Rainbow Wing dimmed and even showed signs of darkening.
Lu Ye gave it a casual blast of Aura power, and the wing glowed beautifully again.
Lu Ye paused.
Whoa, this Aura power is really handy!
When he’s at home, the feather could serve as decoration.
But when going out, better to carry it—after all, it’s like a good luck charm from Ho-Oh.
Lu Ye nodded thoughtfully, scooped up Sylveon in his arms, and headed to the study to find Cynthia.
Time to teach her a foreign language.
…
“How exactly do you pronounce this byte?”
“Break it into syllables, then open your mouth wider.”
“Ah… like this?”
Lu Ye stared at Cynthia’s open pink mouth, her soft tongue, her delicate little tongue tip…
And thought solemnly:
From her tongue coating, maybe we should go lighter on the seasoning next meal…
Once again, it proved the importance of knowing multiple languages.
Lu Ye also picked up a lot of Sinnoh mythology—very informative.
“Lake Verity, Lake Valor, and Lake Acuity... those are Sinnoh’s three great lakes,” Cynthia explained.
“Shouldn’t there be a Sendoff Spring too?”
“That’s the one Giratina inhabits.”
Cynthia smiled in satisfaction. “Looks like you’ve been paying attention.”
“No one loves studying more than I do.” Lu Ye replied earnestly.
That so-called high hourly rate was indeed much higher than Lu Ye’s “gaming companion” fee.
But the money wasn’t really the point… well, not the only point.
After an entire evening of studying ancient language with Cynthia,
Lu Ye, dark circles under his eyes, saw off an equally sleepy Cynthia at Saffron City Airport.
“There’s a League tournament in Sinnoh this May. Don’t forget to join,” Cynthia said seriously.
Mr. Lu set aside his playfulness and nodded solemnly for once.
Looks like...
This was that Sinnoh tournament—the one where Ash faces Tobias in a one-on-one showdown.
Technically it’s a kiddie cup, but with a random mythical-spamming dude, it’s a different beast.
Still...
Even Ash beat two of Tobias’s legendaries. Can’t be that strong—
Then Lu Ye realized he was jinxing it.
“Let’s just hope the other four aren’t more random legendaries…” he muttered.
February 17th, Wednesday.
It was still early. Lu Ye, back home, took a nap.
In his dream, he felt a Gigantamax Snorlax steamrolling over him.
Woke up to find Sylveon lying on his chest, pawing at the blanket with her squishy pads.
“Buii! (≧ω≦)/” After successfully pulling away the covers,
Sylveon rolled herself up like a spring roll, only her pink ears and bow poking out as she tumbled all over the bed.
“D*mn! I wanna roll in the blanket too!”
Lu Ye gritted his teeth and looked toward Gengar… wrapped in his spooky spirit cloth.
“Gengaa!? Σ(°△°|||)︴” Gengar instinctively clutched the blanket tighter.
“Relax, I’m joking… I doubt I could even fit in yours.”
Resigned, Mr. Lu got out of bed and checked the status of the Rainbow Wing in the pot on the balcony.
No major changes…
But Psyduck’s leek had definitely grown a bit.
“Quack! (´థ౪థ)σ” Psyduck wept with joy.
With a sturdier weapon, maybe I won’t lose to that baby Togepi anymore?
Swaying gently in the breeze, the Rainbow Wing seemed pretty content with its current home.
Lu Ye casually infused some Aura into it—its glow immediately brightened.
Mr. Lu lit up with joy.
Looks like I don’t need Ash to charge it—I can do it myself!
Only question is... what would Ho-Oh think if it knew I was treating its feather like this?
“Well, I’ll just prepare some Poké Puffs and bribe it if needed,”
Lu Ye muttered. “Or send in the idiot... a true Pallet Town local, Ho-Oh’s gotta give him some face.”
“Gengaa! (￣▽￣)／”
In the afternoon, Gengar led the little ones to train at the Saffron Gym.
Lu Ye, with nothing to do at home, stopped by the Gym as well.
“Yo, the renovations went fast!” Lu Ye greeted Sabrina cheerfully.
Sabrina froze for a second—her usual icy expression wavered a bit, but she stayed calm.
“Just let Gengar train… no need to trouble yourself.”
“Oh... I didn’t plan to train anyway.”
Sabrina sighed in relief. Lu Ye continued, “I mainly came to give you all a heads-up.”
He took a Coke from the vending machine Gengar brought over, popped it open, and said:
“Next week, I’m heading to Sinnoh. Won’t be staying in Kanto.”
Sabrina nodded—partly relieved, partly a little disappointed.
Spending time with Gengar had been oddly fun.
“For the Sinnoh tournament?” Sabrina tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear.
She felt a little sorry for Sinnoh’s Gym Leaders and Elite Four…
“Uh… sort of.”
Lu Ye scratched his cheek, glanced at the training Pokémon, then added:
“One more thing—it’s about character likeness rights for a game.”
“A game?” A rare flash of surprise crossed Sabrina’s icy face.
Lu Ye: “So, here’s the thing…”
After hearing about Lu Ye’s concept for a Pokémon game, Sabrina was stunned.
“A—a game based on Red’s story?”
“Yep,” Lu Ye grinned. “Includes the fall of Team Rocket, Green’s half-hour championship reign.”
“All the Gym Leaders will appear… some of their stories edited, of course. The villain role goes to Boss Giovanni.”
Sabrina was speechless for a long moment.
The real question is… can you really convince that many Gym Leaders to back your game plan?
Then it hit her.
She thought of the group chat member list, and her expression turned complicated.
It looked like… all those big names really were Mr. Lu’s fans!
“I have no objections,”
Sabrina brushed back her dark hair. “The key is—you need Giovanni’s approval.”
“Actually, the in-game Giovanni is kinda charismatic.”
Lu Ye clicked his tongue.
“And Team Rocket’s image isn’t that bad lately... Maybe we could even get Boss Giovanni to debut as an idol.”
Sabrina: ??!!
Giovanni… debut… as an IDOL??!
Sabrina looked completely dumbfounded, like her worldview had just been shattered.
It was the first time Lu Ye had seen the ice queen show such a broken expression.
Eventually, Sabrina gave a tiny nod and said dryly:
“To be honest… I’m kinda looking forward to it!”